Self-propelled vehicle.



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J. L. VAN NORT.

SELF PROPELLED VEHICLE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 12, 1908.

Patented Apr. 6, 1909.

3 SHEEIS SHEET 1.

svwemtgz J. VAN NORT. SELF PROPELLED VEHICLE. APPLIOATIQN FILED MAR.12,1908.

J. L. VAN NORT.

SELF PROPELLED VEHICLE.

APPLICATION nun MAR. 12, 1908.

Patented Apr. 6, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Q x ifneioom atto'wng UNITED STATE-ct JAMES L. VAN NORT, OF ST. LOUIS,MISSOURI.

SELF-PROPELLED VEHICLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 6, 1909.

Application filed March 12, 1908. Serial No. 420,675.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, James L. VAN Nona, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Louis city and State of Missouri, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Self-Propelled Vehicles, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to self-propelled vehicles and more particularlyto a power transmitting mechanism of that type including expansiblepulleys on the motor shaft or other shaft driven thereby, whereby motionis transmitted to the driving wheels through endless cables passing overthe pulleys and over pulleys connected with the driving wheels, andwhile the invention relates to powertransmitting mechanisms admirablyadapted for this use, it is to be understood that it may be employed inother connections.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify theconstruction and operation of apparatus of this character so as to becomparatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture, of substantial anddurable construction, and manipulated with extreme ease.

A further object of the invention is the provision of apower-transmitting mechanism including expansible pulleys that havecombined therewith a reversing means so that a smooth gradation of speedcan be obtained and the direction of travel changed gradually, as instopping the vehicle or instautly so as to produce a brake effect asunder emergency conditions for the purpose of suddenly stopping thevehicle to avert. an accident.

Another object of the invention is the employment of belt tighteners forthe belts or cables arranged between the expansible pulleys and drivingwheel pulleys, the said tighteners being connected with the device forexpanding and contracting the pulleys so that the belts will bemaintained in proper gripping relation as the expansible pulleys arechanged in diameter to effect the various speeds.

An additional object is to provide a steering mechanism including a postmounted to swing back and forth and connected with the speed-changingand reversing devices and belt tighteners so that no extra levers orpedals will be required in the operation of the automobile.

A still further object is the employment of a steering mechanismconsisting of a able or other flexible element connected with the solidfront axle and passing over suitably arranged pulleys, of which one isfixed on the steering post and rigidly connected with the said cable sothat by rotation of the post the vehicle can be properly guided, thesaid flexible element providing sufficient flexibility to afford aswlnging movement of the post whereby the powertransmitting mechanism ofthe automobile can be controlled.

With these objects in view and others, as will appear as the descriptionproceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features ofconstruction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully describedhereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appendedhereto.

in the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one of the embodiments ofthe invention, Figure l is a side View of an aut0- mobile equipped withimproved powertransmitting mechanism. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof withthe body removed. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal sectional view of oneof the expansible pulleys and combined clutch and reversing device,drawn on an enlarged scale. Fig. l is a sectional view on line ftl, Fig.3. Figs. 5 and 6 are eleva tions of the two sections of an expansiblcpulley. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the pivots of a clutchwheel. Fig. 8 is a perspective of the cradle for the steering post. Fig.9 is a perspective view of the pulley mounted in the cradle and securedto the steering post. Fig. 10 is a similar view of the lever foractuating the shippers of the transmitting mechanism and the belttightcners.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate correspondingparts throughout the several views.

In the present instance, I have elected to illustrate the invention inconnection with an automobile of the surrey type but it is to beunderstood that it can be embodied in other well known types.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the body of the vehicle which issupported by springs l and 2 on the rear and front axles 3 and arespectively, the former having driving wheels 5 and the latter steeringwheels 6. The front axle is of the ordinary buggy construction and as afifth wheel 7, whereby the front axle turns on a central pivot. Thefront wheels are large in diameter so that the vehicle will run moresmoothly and not be influenced by ordinary obstructions in the road-bed,and atthe same time the usual more or less expensive and complicatedsteering knuckles are obviated. The rear axle 3 is rigidly secured andthe wheels 5 rotate on the spindles thereof like ordinary buggy wheels,and both sets of wheels are preferably shod with cushion or otherelastic tires 8.

Mounted on the vehicle body A in front of the forward seat is a steeringpost 9 equipped with a steering wheel 10 at its upper end and extendingthrough an opening 11 in the foot-board 12 and mounted on the under sideof the foot-board is a bracket 13 that carries a cradle 14 which, asshown in Fig. 8, has a hollow boss 1.5 forming a socket in which thelower end of the steering post rotates. The lower end of the steeringpost is of non-circular cross-section to fit in the non-circular opening16 of the grooved wheel or pulley 17, Fig. 9, the said pulley beingdisposed in the chamber 18 of the cradle 14. Passing over the pulley 17is a cable or other flexible element 19 that extends rearwardly fromboth sides of the pulley and crosses at the point 20, Fig. 2, and thetwo ends pass around pulleys 21 attached to the shanks 22 of the steps23 and the extremities are con nected by links 24 to the front axle 4 atpoints adjacent the front wheels. The cable 19 is preferably fastened tothe pulley 17 by a pin 25 or other equivalent means, so that the cablewill not slip as the steering post is turned in one direction or theother for guiding the movement of the vehicle. By employing a flexibleelement such as the cable 19, the shocks received by the front wheelsare not transmitted to a perceptible degree to the steering post. Thesteering post is adapted to have a tilting movement forwardly andbackwardly for the purpose of controlling the power-transmittingmechanism as will be hereinafter more fully ex plained, and for thispurpose the cradle 14, Fig. 8, is provided with trunnions 26 that engagein openings or bearings 27 of the bracket 13, so that the steering postwill swing on a horizontal axis. The cradle has a depending arm 28 towhich is pivoted, at 29, a rod 30 disposed under the body of the vehicleand extending rearwardly to connect with the operating parts of thepower-transmitting mechanism, whereby the speed, di-

- rection of travel, and stoppage of the vehicle can be effected solelyby the steering post and without the necessity of the usual levers andpedals.

Disposed under the vehicle body and mounted in bearings 31 of dependingbrackets 32 on the vehicle body is a transverse driving shaft 33 that isconnected with the gasolene or other motor B, Fig. 2, which is suitablyattached to the vehicle body or frame. On the ends of the driving shaft33 are pow r-transmitting devices C for imparting motion to the rear ordriving wheels 5 of the vehicle. Each mechanism C consists of anexpansible pulley and a combined clutch and reversing device so that thedriving shaft can rotate independently, as when the vehicle is stoppedand the engine continues running and so that the driving shaft can drivethe rear wheels 5 in either direction. The expansible pulley consists oftwo conical sections and 36 that have radial arms 3'? disposed instaggered relation and those of one section interlapping with those ofthe other section, so that as the sections are moved toward each other,the effective diameter of the pulley is increased and vice versa. whenthe sections are moved away from each other. The section 35 slides backand forth on atubular axle 3S fixed on the section 36 and surroundingthe extremity of the driving shaft 33, and on the tubular axle is aremovable collar 39 that is spaced from the hub 40 of the section 35 soas to constitute an annular race or groove for receiving thebifurcations 41 of the shipper or. actuating rod 42. The bifurcations 41are provided with bolts 42 or equivalent means that form pivots foranti-friction rollers 43 that are disposed in the annular race 44. lVhenthe rod 42, Fig. 3, is shifted to the right,the section of theexpansible pulley is moved toward the section 36 so as to therebyincrease the diameter of the pulley and increase the speed of thevehicle, and when the rod 42 is moved in the opposite direction, theelement 35 will slide outwardly and thus permit the pulley to contract.

The clutch and reversing device comprises a hollow drum 45 formed on orsecured to the section 36 of the expansible pulley and provided with twooppositely-inclined. internal conical surfaces 46 and 47 that formgripping faces. Housed within the drum is a clutch wheel 48 that isrigidly secured to the engine shaft 33, as by a pin 49, and theperiphery of the wheel is shaped to engage the gripping face 46. The hub50 of the wheel 48 is formed into the frustum of a cone and interposedbetween this hub and the gripping face 47 are clutching elements such asrollers 51 that are loosely mounted on pivots 52 carried by the bracketAs shown in Fig. 7, each pivot is provided with an eccentric 54 that isfree to rotate in an opening of the bracket 53, whereby the rollers 51can freely shift themselves for gripping both the hub 50 and face 47.The pivots are inclined toward the shaft 33 and the rollers 51 havetheir cylindrical faces parallel with the outer face of the hub 50 andthe gripping face 47. Normally, the wheel 43 and rollers 51 will be outof engagement with the drum 45 so that the shaft 33 can rotate togetherwith the wheel 48 without transmitting motion to the expansible pulley.By imparting a slight movement to the shifting rod 42 toward the right,the gripping face 46 will be engaged with the periphery of the wheel 48so as to cause the expansible pulley to rotate forwardly with thedriving shaft and if the stress on the rod 42 is increased, the pulleywill be expanded so as to increase the speed of the vehicle, the partsbeing maintained in clutching position by holding the rod 42 understress. \Vhen the parts are in normal position and it is desired toreverse the direction of travel, the rod 42 is shifted to the left so asto move the section 36 in the same direction for causing the grippingface 47 of the clutch to engage the rollers 51, whereby the wheel 48will be clutched to the exoansible pulley and drive the latterreversely. The movement of the rod 42 to the left, Fig. 3, is limited bythe collar 39, and on the shaft 33 is provided a pin for engagement by acrank for starting the engine. The shifting rods 42 are mounted forlongitudinal movement in brackets or bearings 57 mounted on the brackets32 and the inner ends of the said rod are pivotally connected with aT-shaped lever 58, Figs. 2 and 10. The arm 59 of this lever is connected,with the link 30 and included in this link is a turn buckle 60 so as toeffect the proper adjustment of the parts.

lVhen the steering post is in central position, the clutches of thepower-transmitting device will be opened so that the engine can operatewithout moving the vehicle, and by tilting the post rearwardly, theclutches will be thrown in so as to drive the vehicle forwardly first atminimum speed and as the rearward tilting of the steering post iscontinued, the speed can be brought up to maximum with perfectsmoothness. By tilting the steering post forwardly of the central orneutral position, the clutches will be thrown in for reversing thedirection of travel. The direction in the travel of the vehicle can bechanged instantly and with great ease, and in case it is desired toquickly stop the vehicle to avoid an accident, it is merely necessary tothrow the steering post forwardly to its full extent so as to therebyreverse the driving wheels 5.

Passing over the expansible pulleys of the power-transmitting mechanismsC are endless cables 61 that pass over large grooved pulleys 62 securedto the rear driving wheels of the vehicle. As the expansible pulleys areexpanded or contracted, the grip of the cable 61 is maintained by belttighteners 63 each consisting of an idle pulley 64: mounted on a crank65, the cranks being secured to the ends of a'rock shaft 66 extendingtransversely under the vehicle body. On the shaft 66 is a dependingcrank arm 67 that is connected with the link 30 by a link 68 so that thebelt tighteners will move synchronously with the shifting rods 42 forvarying the diameters of the expansible pulleys. Thus, as the expansiblepulleys are 70 contracted, the belt tighteners are siniulta neouslyoperated to take up the slack in the cables or belts G1, and as thepulleys are expanded the belt tighteners move reversely.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of themethod of operation will be readily apparent of those skilled in the artto which the invention appertains, and while I have described theprinciple of operation of the invention, together with the apparatuswhich I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to haveit understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative,

and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scopeof the claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. In aself-propelled vehicle, the combination of a propelling element, achange speed device operatively connected therewith, a clutch device, areversing device, an engine, a steering mechanism including a,

post mounted to turn for steering the vehicle hold the clutch deviceopen when the steering post is in neutral position and whereby amovement of the post in one direction from its neutral position willclose the clutch device and increase the speed of travel forwardly, anda movement of the post in the opposite direction from the centralposition will operate the reversing device to drive the vehiclerearwardly.

2. ln a self-propelled vehicle, the combination of apower-transmittingmechanism including an expansible pulley and a belt passing around thesame, a device for en: panding and contracting the pulley, a belttightener separate from the pulley and directly engaging the belt, and acommon 1115 means for simultaneously actuating the device and tightener.

S. In a self-propelled vehicle, the combination of a powertransmittingmechanism includin an eX Jansible June I and belt )assing around thesame, a belt tightener ar' ranged to directly engage the belt, a devicefor expanding and contracting the pulley, a steering post mounted formovement, and

means between the post and tightener and device for actuating the twolatter simul taneously.

l. In a self-propelled vehicle, the combination of a power-transmittingmechan ism including an expansible pulley and a clutch device, a beltpassing around the pulley, a belt tightener, a device for simultaneouslycontrolling the clutehdevice and pulley, a tiltable steering post, andconnecting means attaching the post to the belt tightener and saidcontrollingdevice for vsimultaneously actuating the tightener anddevice.

5. In a self-propelled vehicle, the combination of a driving shaft,expansible pulleys mounted thereon, endless belts passing over thepulleys, tighteners for the belts arranged to directly engage the same,and means connected with both the pulleys and tighteners forsimultaneously expanding or contracting the pulleys and actuating thetighteners.

(3. In a self-propelled vehicle, the combination of a driving shaft,expansible pullcys mounted thereon, belts passing over the pulleys,tighteners for the belts, a steering mechanism including a movable post,and

means connecting the post with all the pulleys and all the tightenersfor simultane ously expanding or contracting the pulleys and actuatingthe tighteners by the movement of the post.

7. In a self-propelled vehicle, the combination of a motor, a shaftdriven thereby,

power -transniitting mechanisms including change speed devices andcombined reversing and clutching devices, elements for simultaneouslycontrolling the devices, a lever connected with the elements, a tiltablesteering post, and a connection between the lever and post forcontrolling the said devices by the tilting of the post.

S. In a self-propelled vehicle, the combination of a motor, a shaftdriven thereby, expansible pulleys on the shaft, combined clutches andreversing devices between the pulleys and shaft, an element forcontrolling each device and pulley, belts passing over the pulleys,tighteners for the belts, a rock shaft for actuating the tighteners, amovable steering post, means connecting the post with the rock shaft andelements for controlling the tighteners, and pulleys and devices by themovement of the post, and mechanisms connected with the post forsteering th vehicle.

9. In a self-propelled vehicle, the combination of a steering axle,wheels thereon, a rotatable and tiltable steering post, an engine, apower transmitting mechanism for driving the vehicle by the engine,means between the post and mechanism for controlling the latter, aflexible element connected at a point intermediate its ends with thepost and extending rearwardly and crossing at a point behind the post,guiding means secured to the vehicle at a point behind the axle andarranged to support the flexible element intermediate the said point ofcrossing and extremity, and means for connecting the extremities of theelement to the axle adjacent the wheels.

10. In a self propelled vehicle, the combination of a steering axle, asteering post, means for supporting the post to tilt on a horizontalaxis, a grooved wheel on the post, a flexible element connected with thewheel and connected with the axle, means for guiding the element totransmit movement to the axle from the post, a mechanism for driving thevehicle at different speeds and in different directions and including aclutch, and a connection between the steering post and mechanism forcontrolling the latter by the tilting of the post.

11. In a power transmitting mechanism, the combination of an expansiblepulley comprising relatively movable sections, a driving shaft on whichthe sections are loosely mounted, and a clutch device for clutching thepulley to the shaft, with a single controller for both the pulley andclutch device.

12. In a power-transmitting mechanism, the combination of an expansiblepulley including movable sections, a tubular axle on one section and onwhich the other section slides a shaft on which the sections are looselymounted and extending through the axle, an element connected with theaxle for moving the sections to expand or contract the pulley, and-aclutch device between the shaft and pulley and arranged to drive thelatter forwardly when the element is moved in one direction.

13. In a power-transmitting mechanism, the combination of an expansiblepulley including relatively-movable sections, a tubular axle on onesection for slidably holding the other section, a driving shaft passingthrough the axle, a clutch device for connecting the shaft with thesection having the tubular axle, and a controller for moving thesections to vary the diameter of the pulley and acting through thelatter to control the clutch.

14. In a power-transmitting mechanism, the combination of a pulleyincluding relat-ively-n'iovable sections, a tubular axle on one of thesections for slidably holding the l other, a removable collar on theaxle and spaced from the hub of the slidable section, a shaft passingthrough the axle, means for connecting the axlecarrying section to theshaft, and a bifurcated element engagin between the collar and hub ofthe slidable section for moving the sections to vary the diameter of thepulley.

1.5. In a power-transmitting mechanism, the combination of a support, arotatable shaft mounted thereon, a drum loosely mounted on the shaft andhaving oppositelydisposed internal gripping faces, a cone wheel keyed tothe shaft and adapted to engage one of the said internal faces of thedrum and provided with a conical hub, rollers loosely mounted on thesupport with their axes inclined to the axis of the shaft and arrangedto engage the other internal face and said drum, and means for movingthe drum for connecting the latter directly with the said wheel orindirectly therewith through the rollers.

16. In a power-transmitting mechanism, the combination of a support, arotatable shaft mounted thereon, a drum loosely mounted on the shaft andhaving oppositely disposed internal gripping faces, a cone wheel keyedto the shaft and adapted to engage one of the said internal faces of thedrum and provided with a conical hub, rollers arranged to engage theother internal face and said hub, pivots for the rollers which areloosely mounted on the support to permit self adjustment of the rollersfor gripping the faces of the wheel and drum an expansible pulleyconsisting of relativelyinovable sections one of which is connected withthe drum, and an element for moving the sections to vary the diameter ofthe pulley and operating through the latter for connecting the drumdirectly with the said wheel or indirectly therewith through the saidrollers.

17. In a powertransmitting mechanism, the combination of a support, arotatable shaft mounted thereon, a drum loosely mounted on the shaft andhaving oppositelydisposed internal gripping faces, a cone wheel keyed tothe shaft and adapted to engage one of the said internal faces of thedrum and provided with a conical hub, rollers disposed between the otherinternal face and said hub, pivots for the rollers, eccentrics on thepivots loosely mounted in bearing openings on the support and arrangedto permit the rollers to move in a direction transverse to their axes ofrotation for gripping the hub and internal face of the said wheel anddrum, and means for moving the drum to connect the latter directly withthe said wheel or indirectly therewith through the rollers.

In testimony whereof I my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES L. VAN NORT. lVitnesses JOHN L. FLETCHER, CHATTIN BRADWAY.

